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Some Liverpool fans may be following the Florian Wirtz transfer tale with a sense of trepidation, despite several reliable reporters strongly hinting that the deal is likely to materialise.
The Reds have been working on a move for the Bayer Leverkusen star for several weeks but have yet to strike an agreement with the Bundesliga club, although the 22-year-old is very keen on coming to Anfield.
Kopites will recall how the Merseysiders had agreed a fee of £111m with Brighton for Moises Caicedo two summers ago, only for the Ecuador midfielder to instead sign for Chelsea, who’d always been the player’s preference (The Guardian).
Liverpool backed to succeed with Wirtz where they failed with Caicedo
Liverpool-focused journalist David Lynch has explained why, despite that failed pursuit in 2023, the Reds are unlikely to hit a similar stumbling block in their attempts to sign Wirtz.
The reporter told Sports Mole: “I think the biggest difference to Caicedo, to whom we’ve seen the concerns and comparisons, is in that situation, Liverpool were coming to the party late. They hadn’t done enough work on that deal.
“They sensed an opportunity and went in there at the last, but by that point the player had given his word to Chelsea and he didn’t want to go back on that. They were never in the driving seat for that one, even though they had a bid accepted, because they didn’t have the player on board.
“This is the complete opposite. They’ve got the player to sign off. They know what the personal terms will look like; all that aspects of the deal is sorted.
“It’s just about coming to an agreement now with Bayer Leverkusen, and there’s big optimism that that’ll get sorted imminently. I think the expectation is that it’ll be done before this initial [transfer] window closes [on 10 June].”
Liverpool appear to have learned from two years ago
Although it was with different personnel at the wheel that Liverpool failed to land Caicedo two years ago (Jorg Schmadtke was the Reds’ sporting director at the time, a job title that Richard Hughes now holds), they appeared to have learned lessons from that futile pursuit.
As Lynch pointed out, the current Anfield brains trust haven’t hung around in making their move for Wirtz, whose desire to come to Merseyside appears to be unshakable. Had they held fire until after the current international window, that could’ve given a rival suitor the opportunity to pounce.
Ultimately, the German has only had eyes for LFC, even turning down Bayern Munich in indicating his preference for the Premier League champions.
A club can throw all the money they want at a player, but if he’s not amenable to the move, then any sporting director would have their work cut out to try and convince him to come on board.
Thankfully, that hasn’t been the case with Wirtz, whose keenness to sign for Liverpool – allied with a far greater proactivity from the Anfield powerbrokers than in the failed pursuit of Caicedo – should help to hopefully get the impending transfer made official within the next few days.
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Rodrygo Still Pricing Himself Out of a Move as Arsenal and Liverpool Back Off
Rodrygo is playing a dangerous game, one that is only prolonging his frustrations at Real Madrid. In a 2023-24 league campaign where Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior overshadowed him, things worsened for the Brazilian towards the end of last season when he appeared to lose his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI. By then, the expectation was that Rodrygo would leave the Santiago Bernabéu. Then came the Arsenal links. However, with Ancelotti’s departure and Xabi Alonso taking charge, Rodrygo and his camp saw the managerial change as an opportunity to re-establish himself. Rodrygo’s future at Madrid looks bleak Unfortunately, that hasn’t materialised. Rodrygo struggled to reclaim his starting spot at the Club World Cup, playing a limited role as Alonso favoured Arda Güler. Güler is expected to be ahead of Rodrygo next season, and to make matters worse, there is talk of Endrick being converted into a winger, plus the arrival of Franco Mastantuono. With all three likely ahead of him in the pecking order, Rodrygo’s best move would be to push for an exit. Yet, interestingly, he remains hesitant. When approached, he is reportedly scaring off suitors with his demands. Liverpool’s view on a Rodrygo swoop Liverpool were once seen as his most likely destination after Arsenal cooled their interest. However, they are now said to have pulled out, citing wage demands. On The Transfer Show podcast, Dave Davis told Trev Downey: “Young Rodrygo, 400,000 euros a week, you know, for the basic wage ask. That’s Alisson, VVD salary levels… and that’s before bonuses and other things as well.” With Liverpool’s structured wage system, those demands are a non-starter. While the league champions backing away opens the door for Arsenal, they have signed Noni Madueke and are unlikely to entertain such hefty wage expectations. One chance missed? If Rodrygo were wise, he would have moved when Arsenal knocked. He would also have had to tame his wage demands, given his hefty asking price. Now, he joins Dusan Vlahović and Benjamin Šeško on the growing list of players who missed their one chance to impress at the Emirates. Opinion: Should Arsenal now forget about a move for Rodrygo? Let us know your thoughts. __________________________________________________________________________________________
Royals acquire outfield help in perplexing trade with Diamondbacks
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez
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